The US President along with his Colombian counterpart have turned up the rhetoric of their war of words, increasing strains bilaterally after American military units targeted Venezuela to remove the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He has drug factories and production sites and that won't last much longer," Trump added.
Rising Threats coupled with Accusations
Talking to reporters over the weekend, the American leader suggested analogous military action towards the South American nation, claiming the nation is “very sick too” and “run by an unwell individual involved in producing the drug and distributing it to the US."
Although Colombia is the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, who was elected in 2022, is in any way involved in the trade.
A Strained Relationship
The country for decades served as a staunch collaborator of the US in the campaign against narcotics trade and benefited from wide political approval from American politicians, yet ties have deteriorated markedly since Trump was elected.
Colombia’s illicit drug economy is predominantly run by criminal organizations like the Golf Clan, the ELN guerrilla group and dissident factions of the demobilized Farc, the majority of whose members laid down arms following a landmark accord.
The President's Strong Response
In response to a query whether military intervention comparable to Venezuela was on the cards regarding Colombia, Trump replied: "That seems like a good idea to me."
President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who left armed struggle in the 1990s, rejected these allegations. "I am no an illegitimate leader and certainly not a drug trafficker," he affirmed.
"The US president speaks without information. End the false accusations," he posted in a message.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will turn into a multitude of fighters in the hills. And if they detain the nation's leader, which a large part of the population loves and respects, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," Petro warned.
From Guerrilla to Leader
He passed some years as a young man participating of the leftist M-19 insurgent movement although reports indicate that he never engaged in fighting. Upon leaving the group, he participated in creating the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s and later became an influential politician. He served as mayor of the capital city before being elected the nation's highest office.
"I pledged to abstain from using a gun ... but for Colombia I would take up arms again," he vowed.
Increased Security along with Cross-Political Rejection
Colombia's defense chief stated that the national leader's personal security was strengthened.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have expressed support with Trump's stance, but voices from across the ideological divide have rejected the possibility of American military action on Colombia.
Political and Economic Pressure
American authorities withdrew Petro’s visa subsequent to he called on American soldiers to ignore orders that violate law. In October, it placed economic restrictions on Petro, the first lady and various close collaborators.
Concurrently as the US increased its forces in the Caribbean and striking alleged narcotics traffickers to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces also carried out operations against vessels in the eastern Pacific region off the Colombian coast.
